Clearfield native showcasing freestyle around the nation

STATE COLLEGE, Pa.; December 21, 2007 - Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.), who red-shirted last season and will seek an Olympic red-shirt this year, continues to build upon his freestyle successes.  A starter for Penn State during the 2005-06 season as a true freshman, Pataky has been focused solely on class and freestyle wrestling over the course of the last two years.

During the 2006-07 academic year, Pataky competed in five freestyle events.  He went 5-2 at the prestigious Sunkist Kids International Open, garnering three pins along the way.  He followed that up with a third place finish at the Guelph Open in Canada and then winning the Northeast Senior Regionals in New York.  The talented Clearfield native also went 3-1 at the Dave Schultz Memorial International in February of 2007, getting all three wins with pins. In June of this past summer, Pataky competed at the U.S. World Team Trials and went 1-1.

This year, Pataky has competed in two events, the Sunkist Kids International Open and the NYAC Holiday International Open this past November.  Pataky placed sixth at the Sunkist Open, competing at 55 kg (121 pounds). He followed that performance up with an outstanding fourth place finish at the NYAC Holiday International Open.  Pataky went 4-2 on his way to the consolation finals where he lost a close bout to former Penn State stand-out Adam Smith.  Pataky's only other loss was a close 1-0, 1-0 decision to former Arizona State All-American Danny Felix.  Along the way, Pataky grabbed a superb 4-3, 8-6 win over two-time NCAA National Champion Joe Dubuque of Indiana.

Pataky went 15-8 in 2005-06 as a true freshman, including a 6-2 mark in duals and a 2-1 record in Big Ten action.